Pitch darkness. A sight devoid of any light or shape or form. An endless black ocean surrounded Makar. But he was not conscious to it. He drifted endlessly in his deep, forced slumber. And then, a muffled voiced echoed through the void. And a second joining in. One gruff and slow, the other quicker and louder, almost chipper. The two conversed for a while, at a calm odds with one another. But before long, it seemed that their debate had ended. Makar felt ten cold fingerprints press against the sides of his head, and a clear voice bellowed through the halls of his subconscious, uttering only a single word. "Awaken."

  Makar's body jolted, bursting out of the unconscious void. He felt every sensation so clearly for a moment. Every hair on his skin, every ounce of blood in his veins, every movement of the air. The moment passed, and Makar's sense fell back down to their usual sensitivity. He looked around, his heart still beating wildly. He was surrounded by rocky stone, curved from wall to ceiling. He was sat in a small, well-lit room. And in front of him stood two men. Grey, who leaned against the side of the room, staring at Makar with a blank expression. And directly stood in front of him was Zenji. He was a giant man, easily twice the size of Makar. He had dark skin and a thick mane of dark blue hair which flowed from his shoulders down his back. He had no shirt on his back, save for an old, torn blue cloak draped over his shoulders. His legs were wrapped in a loose-fitting pair of simple grey pants, but his feet were bare on the ground. Despite his muscular form and large size, his face was full of innocence and plastered a wide, endearing smile. Which could calm anyone down. Unfortunately, Makar had just come to the realisation he had been abducted. He let out a loud scream as he thrashed around in his chair, like a wild animal ensnared in a trap. This made Makar realise that not only was he sat in a chair, but he was also tied to it by a thick rope wrapped around his arms and torso. Which only furthered his panic and made his thrashing twice as dramatic.

  Zenji quickly waved his hands nervously. "No, no, no! Please, calm down! We're not going to hurt you!" But his words fell on deaf ears as Makar still squirmed in his chair.

  Grey raised his hand. "I might hurt you."

  Zenji's head snapped back to Grey with a pout and squinted eyes before turning his attention back to Makar. He placed his hands on Makar's shoulders, holding him in place. "Please, be calm."

  "Easy for you to say!" Makar yelled. "You're not the one who's been abducted and tied to a chair in some... some... devilspawn pit!"

  Grey rolled his eyes. "Always with the 'devilspawn'. Can't you people think of something more creative?"

  Makar stopped struggling against Zenji's firm grip. "Please, just don't hurt me... I promise I won't say anything! What do you even want with me anyway?!" He desperately pleaded. Makar could hardly remember what happened before this. He could only recall taking Edgar to bed before going to his own room. And then an open window in the night had stirred him awake. After that, there was nothing.

  Zenji let go of Makar, feeling his resistance leave him. "Apologies for all of this, sir. But this is important. If you would just answer some questions, everything will be okay. Understand?"

  Makar's breathing began to settle, he contemplated his position and realised that he had no other choice but to do as these Aethers said. "Alright... What do you want to know?"

  Zenji happily clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Firstly, how did you know we were Aethers?"

  "I had an encounter with one yesterday. I figured that's why I was here. Not to mention your odd appearance."

  Grey stifled a chuckle at that response. Zenji continued "So you did have an encounter with an Aether. Did you kill them?"

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  Makar's eyes widened slightly in shock, like the idea was inconceivable to him. "Kill him? No! I just..." Makar paused, trying to carefully choose his words. "I was on my home from work. I work as a Cobbler's apprentice, you see. On my way, I had just heard this man asking for help... So I went up to him..."

  Grey tilted his head. "Why?"

  "I don't know... I just felt I had to help him." Makar takes a moment to think about his next words. "But it didn't matter anyways. He did something to my hand, and then he died... I don't know what he did, but I haven't felt any different since then."

  Zenji nodded slightly. "And this is the truth?"

  "Absolutely."

  Zenji smiles. "Great. But just to be sure. Alden?" Zenji looked at something behind Makar.

  Makar turned his head backward just in time to see Alden, a tall bald man with a monotonous expression, approach him from behind. Alden grabbed Makar's head with both hands, a bright glow emanating from his palms. As he did, Makar felt a sharp pierce into his head, flashes of the past day running through him. His workday, his journey home, his encounter with the Aether, all of it burning into his eyes for a spit second before it was all over, and Alden removed his hands.

  Makar panted "What the fuck did he just do to me?!" He shouted.

  Zenji looked to Alden. "Did he lie to us?"

  Alden shook his head. "The boy speaks the truth." Zenji's smile widened at the response.

  Makar looked up at Zenji. "I ask again. What the fuck did he do to me?!"

  Zenji patted Makar's shoulder. "Apologies. I know it's not entirely moral, but we had to make sure you were not lying. We needed to know if we could trust you. Alden just had a peak into your mind, just to verify your claims."

  Makar looked back and forth between Zenji and Alden. "What? Into my mind?! What?!"

  Zenji looked up at Alden "Please, untie him."

  Alden took a single step toward before Grey spoke up in protest. "Excuse me. Untie him? You must be joking."

  Zenji happily shook his head. "Not at all. Alden, untie him please."

  Alden quickly cooperated and untied Makar. Grey's protests continued. "You're going to let a complete stranger go?"

  Zenji shrugged. "I simply wish to be a good host, Grey."

  Grey's jaw dropped slightly in shock. "A good host? We kidnapped him!"

  "You kidnapped him. I had nothing to do with that part." Zenji fiddled with a curl of his blue mane.

  "Under your orders." Grey growled back.

  Zenji waved off the comment. "Let's not go pointing fingers here. We should be focusing on..." Zenji turned to Makar. "Sorry, lad, I didn't catch your name."

  Makar slowly began to catch his breath from the shock that still lingered after the intrusion into his mind. "Makar... that's my name..."

  Zenji tilted his head by the slightest degree. "Makar? Hm. Nice name. Certainly suits you."

  Makar's eyebrows twisted in a state of confusion. "Thank you?"

  Zenji's smile came out in full force. "You're welcome! I am Zenji! And that grump behind me is Grey, my apprentice." He stretched out his hand for a friendly shake. Makar reluctantly shook it.

  Once the handshake had ended, Makar began thinking. How would he get out of here? These apparent devilspawns weren't as horrible as he was told as a child. But they weren't exactly the most hospitable either. Even the kindnesses they shared stirred confusion in Makar, whether they were genuine or just an attempt to lure him in, like sirens at sea. But he knew that he needed to get out at the very least. He needed to get home. To get back to his father. His father. "Father!" He thought. He spoke aloud now, "My father! Is he okay? Did you do anything to him?" HIs words were willed with panic.

  Zenji turned back to Grey. "Did you do anything to the boy's father?"

  Grey shook his head with a firm denial. "Obviously not. I had no reason to take him. Makar is the one with the essence, not his father."

  Makar breathed a sigh of relief. But the relief was short lived. Essence? Did he hear that correctly? "What do you mean by essence?" He asked.

  Zenji let out a small chuckle. A spark had been lit in him, something deep and passionate. He began to step to the exit, Makar watched his movements closely. Zenji stopped just short of the door and looked at Makar from over his shoulder. "First... I must give you the tour. Come on!" With that, Zenji pushed open the door and beckoned Makar to follow. Makar hesitated, he was unsure of what exactly he was stepping into. But sure enough, he put one foot in front of the other and began to follow.

  Upon exiting the room, Zenji led Makar up a long line of stone stairs, the walls lined with warm glowing stones to light the way. Grey followed closely behind them.

  They finally reached the end of the staircase. Zenji opened another door, this time to a bright room. Makar reached the final exit and took in the view...